Frank Robert Verwey (born 21 January 1941) is a South African

professional golfer A professional golfer is somebody who receives payments or financial rewards in the sport of golf that are directly related to their skill or reputation. A person who earns money by teaching or playing golf is traditionally considered a "golf pr ...

Early life

Verwey was born in

Johannesburg Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu language, Zulu and Xhosa language, Xhosa: eGoli ) (colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, Jo'burg or "The City of Gold") is the most populous city in South Africa. With 5,538,596 people in the City of Johannesburg alon ...

. He is the son of former South African PGA champion

Jock Verwey Jock may refer to: Common meanings * Jock (stereotype), a North American term for a stereotypical male athlete * Jock, a derogatory term for Scottish people mostly used by the English * Short for jockstrap, an item of male protective undergarment ...

Professional career

Verwey won the 1962 German Open and the 1965 Almaden Open Invitational on the

PGA Tour The PGA Tour (stylized as PGA TOUR by its officials) is the organizer of professional golf tours in North America. It organizes most of the events on the flagship annual series of tournaments also known as the PGA Tour, the PGA Tour Champion ...

. He was a member of the

European Tour The European Tour, currently titled as the DP World Tour for sponsorship reasons, and legally the PGA European Tour or the European Tour Group, is the leading men's professional golf tour in Europe. The organisation also operates the European ...

from 1978 to 1980. He won several professional tournaments in his home country and represented South Africa in the

World Cup A world cup is a global sporting competition in which the participant entities – usually international teams or individuals representing their countries – compete for the title of world champion. The event most associated with the name is ...

in 1978 and 1980. Verwey was 50 years, 5 months and 23 days old when he won the

Senior British Open Championship The Senior Open Championship, or simply The Senior Open (and originally known as the Senior British Open), is a professional golf tournament for players aged 50 and over. It is jointly owned and run by The R&A, the same body that organises The O ...

becoming the youngest player to ever win that event. He was a regular on the

European Seniors Tour The European Senior Tour, currently branded as the Legends Tour, is a professional golf tour for male golfers aged 50 and over, run by the PGA European Tour. The tour was titled as the Staysure Tour for the 2018 and 2019 seasons after UK-based i ...

for the first few years after its establishment in 1992, and finished in the top ten on the Order of Merit four times.

Personal life

Verwey is the brother-in-law of South African golf legend

Gary Player Gary James Player (born 1 November 1935) is a South African retired professional golfer who is widely considered to be one of the greatest golfers of all time. During his career, Player won nine major championships on the regular tour and nine ...

, who was married to his sister, Vivienne (1937–2021).

Professional wins

PGA Tour wins (1)

South African circuit wins (5)

*1963

Western Province Open The Western Province Open was a golf tournament in South Africa as part of the Southern Africa Tour. In the early years of the tournament, Bobby Locke and Harold Henning had much success, winning the event multiple times each. During the middle ...

*1965 Transvaal Open *1968 Pepsi Open (South Africa) *1969 Transvaal Open *1975 Transkei Open (South Africa)

Other regular career wins (1)

*1962 German Open

Senior PGA Tour wins (1)

European Seniors Tour wins (4)

European Seniors Tour playoff record (1–1)

Other senior wins (1)

*2000 Nippon Jurin Senior Open (Japan)

Results in major championships

CUT = missed the half-way cut
WD = withdrew
"T" indicates a tie for a place

Senior major championships

Wins (1)

Team appearances

(representing South Africa):

1978 Events January * January 1 – Air India Flight 855, a Boeing 747 passenger jet, crashes off the coast of Bombay, killing 213. * January 5 – Bülent Ecevit, of Republican People's Party, CHP, forms the new government of Turkey (42nd ...

1980 Events January * January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a United States grain embargo against the Soviet Union, grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission. * January 6 – Global Positioning Sys ...

Praia d'El Rey European Cup The Praia d'El Rey European Cup was an annual professional golf tournament played at Praia d'El Rey, Portugal. It was played in 1997, 1998 and 1999 between teams of men representing the European Seniors Tour and ladies representing the Ladies Eur ...

: 1998 (tie)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Verwey, Bobby South African male golfers Sunshine Tour golfers European Tour golfers European Senior Tour golfers Winners of senior major golf championships Golfers from Johannesburg 1941 births Living people 20th-century South African sportsmen